Madi Johnson is the next senior featured in the SMU Equestrian 2021 Senior Spotlight series. Madi is originally from Rancho Santa Margarita, California and is part of the Mustang Jumping Seat team. She has accumulated a 3-3-1 record in Flat competition and earned an MOP honor in 2019 with a score of 91. She was then named the ECAC Flat Rider of the Week. Madi has been named to the conference and NCEA All-Academic Second Team and APHA Academic Honor Roll during her time on the Hilltop.

Do you have any superstitions or pre-meet rituals? 
I wear the same pair of socks (but I wash them between meets).

Is there a nickname you have on the team?
Madi, Madi J or sometimes just MJ.

What's your go-to pump up song?
"Sugar" by Maroon 5. Every time this song would play growing up, my dad would put it on full blast and bob his head. If he was wearing earphones, he would put one in my ear and mouth the words to me while I listened. This song always puts me in a good mood.

Fun Fact
When I was born, my mom wanted my name to be "Mattison" and my dad wanted it to be "Madison," after the capital of Wisconsin (where he is from). To compromise, my legal name is "Madison," but anything and everything related to my riding career is under the name "Mattison," or "Matti."
 
How did you get into equestrian?
It was all because of my mom. She wanted to ride as a kid but could not afford to do so until she was in her 30s and had made enough money to pay for it herself. When my brothers and I were born, she tried to get all of us into horseback riding, but I was the only one who stuck with it.

Which SMU horse is your favorite and why?
Punch! He is just a big golden retriever – friendly with a cute face.

What's your favorite memory from SMU?
Making friends, riding horses and getting a great education – just livin' the dream!

What are your plans after graduation?
I signed an offer to work full-time for Deloitte in 2022. In the meantime, I am attending graduate school at SMU for my Master of Science in accounting to get my CPA license next year.

What's one thing you want to say to the SMU family?
Thanks for all the laughs over the years. I am so grateful for this group of women who have supported me inside and out of the arena. Don't take any part of being on this team for granted. All the early mornings and long meet days with your teammates can make for the best memories.